The subject matter of the present invention relates generally to exhaust muffler support apparatus and in particular to a vehicle engine exhaust muffler bracket apparatus for a truck, automobile or other vehicle. The exhaust muffler bracket assembly of the present invention includes a bracket for clamping at least one end of a muffler to an engine exhaust pipe, with a pair of clamp members which are pivotally connected by a pivot connection to one end of a support arm to enable the clamp members to pivot relative to the support arm. A vehicle mount, including a mounting plate and a pair of integral tab members extending laterally therefrom, is used for attaching the bracket apparatus to the vehicle and pivotally mounting the other end of the support arm on a mounting shaft extending between the tab members which allows the support arm to pivot relative to the vehicle body. The pivot connections of the support arm to the bracket and to the vehicle mount prevent the exhaust pipe to muffler connection from breaking due to the motion of the muffler relative to the vehicle as it travels along the roadway. In addition, the pivotal mount may be provided with a shock absorber sleeve of elastomer material which surrounds the mounting shaft about which the support arm pivots thereby reducing the amount of vibration transmitted from the truck to the exhaust pipe muffler connection. The exhaust muffler support apparatus of the present invention is especially useful in mounting exhaust mufflers on trucks to provide a long lifetime and to prevent vibration of the muffler and damage which may result therefrom as well as reducing any noise caused by such vibration.
Previously it was common practice to connect the ends of mufflers to exhaust pipes by U-bolt connectors with a single clamping member which extends over the ends of the U-bolt and is held into engagement with the muffler end by a pair of nuts threaded on the opposite ends of such U-bolt. This conventional clamp connector has the disadvantages that there is no pivoting of such connector with the result that vibration due to travel of the truck or vehicle over roads is directly transmitted to the muffler connection causing it to loosen and eventually fail after a limited lifetime. This problem is avoided in the exhaust muffler support apparatus of the present invention by employing a pivot connection for pivotally connecting the bracket clamp members to one end of the support arm and by a vehicle mount for pivotally mounting the other end of such support arm on the body of the vehicle. In addition, the present invention provides an improved shock absorber mounting, including a sleeve of elastomer material which surrounds the mounting shaft attaching the opposite end of the support arm to the vehicle body thereby providing a simple and effective means of reducing the vibration transmitted to the exhaust muffler support apparatus from the truck body and also reducing the resulting noise. Also, the vehicle mount is of a simple, strong and inexpensive construction, including a mounting plate and a pair of tab members formed integral therewith and bent outward to extend laterally to such plate. For a stronger muffler to exhaust pipe connection, the bracket is formed of two pairs of clamp members, each pair including two U-shaped clamp members of different length which are mounted to in a nested relationship to provide four contact areas spaced along the exhaust pipe.